MPs rebel to support tougher action on cold rented homes20 September 2011
On Tuesday MPs had their final chance to improve the Government's Energy Bill before it becomes law later this year.
Friends of the Earth has been calling for the Bill to be made tougher and faster.
In particular, we've been asking the Government to stop landlords letting out freezing rented homes from 2016.
Did you know?
- Over 5.5 million UK households can't afford to keep their homes warm.
- It costs the NHS £859m a year to treat adults and children made ill by cold homes.
- Homes cause over a quarter of the UK's climate changing carbon dioxide emissions.
An heroic effort
Liberal Democrat MP John Leech has backed our Warm Homes campaign from the start.
180 MPs from all parties signed his parliamentary petition to demand tough Government action on dangerously cold rented homes.
This helped us take a big step towards victory - in June the Government announced that from 2018 landlords could be fined if they don't improve the coldest rented homes.
That's great news. But 2018 is much too long to wait. And John Leech agreed.
Sticking their necks out
So on Tuesday John Leech, and many Liberal Democrat, Labour, and other MPs from small parties such as the Greens, voted against the Government to make the new law faster and stronger.
Unfortunately the Government won this round of the fight.
But when MPs do the right thing, especially when that goes against the wishes of their party leaders, they deserve our praise.
Friends of the Earth would like to thank John Leech and the following Liberal Democrat MPs who voted against the Government, and for tougher action on freezing homes:
Mike Hancock, John Pugh, Dan Rogerson, Adrian Sanders, Annette Brooke, Michael Crockart, Don Foster, Julian Huppert, Greg Mulholland, Ian Swales, David Ward, Mark Williams, Stephen Williams, Tessa Munt.
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